Norse mythology and medieval historiography

Snorri Sturluson

1179 – 1241

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic chieftain, poet, and historian who composed the Prose Edda around 1220, the single most important surviving source for Norse mythology and pre-Christian Germanic cosmology. His systematic retelling of the gods, creation narratives, and poetic kennings preserved traditions that would otherwise have been lost after Christianisation. He also authored the Heimskringla, a history of Norwegian kings drawing on skaldic verse and oral tradition.